Methods and apparatus for contextual awareness in a groupware client

• US 7,890,964 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Nayar, Narayan, Vogler-Ivashchanka, Iryna, Wood, Eric, Moore, Dennis Brian, Kol, Nir, Samson, Frederic E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; H. S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAO, TUAN C.
• Application Number:
  US11/409,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/3, 709/229, 705/8
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses provide contextual awareness to a groupware client with respect to an enterprise backend system. The groupware client generates a query or request for data within a context of the groupware client. A backend determines the context, which may include processing an indication of the context received with the query. Data is selectively chosen based on the context, and the selected data is provided to the groupware client to fulfill the request. In one embodiment, the backend determines a permission associated with the context.

Claims

1. A method for providing data to a groupware client application (GCA) of an office productivity suite of applications, comprising:

receiving at an enterprise server a query from the GCA for enterprise-level data, the query generated within a context of the GCA for the enterprise-level data, the context being a local working environment of the GCA,

wherein the GCA being a collaborative application having an associated groupware server that provides services to collaborative applications, the GCA including native functionality to access the associated groupware server but not to access the enterprise server,

wherein an extension to the GCA enables the GCA to interact directly with the enterprise server, bypassing the groupware server to access enterprise-level data while leaving unaffected access to other data by the GCA through the groupware server, and

wherein the enterprise-level data is associated with execution of a workflow from within the context of the GCA;

determining at the enterprise server the context of the GCA in which the query was generated, including identifying a workflow associated with the query;

selecting enterprise data based at least in part on the determined context; and

providing, in response to the query, the selected data within the context of the GCA through the extension to the GCA, including integrating the selected data into a user interface of the GCA to enable interaction with the selected data through the GCA via the extension that provides functionality in the GCA to interact with enterprise-level data associated with the workflow from the context of the GCA without having to change from the context of the GCA to another application to access the enterprise-level data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the query from the GCA comprises:

receiving the query from an email client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the query for enterprise-level data comprises:

receiving a query for a workflow object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the workflow further comprises:

receiving a workflow identifier with the query;

determining a status of the workflow; and

identifying data related to a current phase of the workflow.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the context of the GCA comprises:

identifying a permission associated with the query.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the permission associated with the query further comprises:

receiving a user identifier with the query;

and determining a permission associated with the user identifier.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the permission associated with the query further comprises:

identifying a business role associated with the query; and

determining a permission associated with the business role.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the enterprise data based on the determined context comprises:

accessing enterprise data associated with the query;

and selecting what data associated with the query is accessible with a permission associated with the determine context, and not selecting the data inaccessible with the permission.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the selected data to the GCA comprises:

populating a task pane of the GCA with the selected data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the selected data to the GCA comprises:

providing the selected data to cause the GCA to display a business object as accessible if data is provided for the business object, and display the business object as inaccessible if data is not provided for the business object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the context of the GCA comprises:

determining the context from one or more of a business role associated with the GCA, a user identifier, or a workflow identifier.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to cause a machine to perform operations in an enterprise data interface, the operations including:

receiving a request for data from a groupware client application (GCA) of an office productivity suite of applications,

wherein the request for the data is generated within a context of the GCA, the context being a local working environment of the GCA,

wherein the GCA being a collaborative application having an associated groupware server that provides services to the collaborative applications, the GCA including native functionality to access the associated groupware server but not to access the enterprise server,

wherein an extension to the GCA enables the GCA to interact directly with the enterprise server, bypassing the groupware server to access enterprise-level data while leaving unaffected access to other data by the GCA through the groupware server, and

wherein the data is associated with execution of a workflow from within the context of the GCA, the workflow managed by a server other than the groupware server;

determining a the context of the GCA, including identifying the workflow associated with the query;

determining a permission of the GCA to access the requested data in response to determining the context; and

selectively providing, in response to the query, some or all of the requested data within the context of the GCA through the extension to the GCA, including integrating the selected data into a user interface of the GCA, based at least in part on the permission of the GCA to access the requested data, to enable interaction with the data through the GCA via an the extension that provides functionality in the GCA to interact with data associated with the workflow from the context of the GCA without having to change from the context of the GCA to another application to access the enterprise-level data.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the content for receiving the request for data comprises content for receiving a request for a workflow object.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the content for selectively providing the requested data comprises content for providing a tool for the GCA to provide functionality to operate on data.

15. A system comprising:

a backend enterprise system including one or more enterprise servers having data accessible via a service;

a groupware client application (GCA) of an office productivity suite of applications having a context, the context indicated by an identifier and being a local working environment of the GCA, the GCA to generate a request from within the context for data from the backend enterprise system,

wherein the GCA being a collaborative application having an associated groupware server that provides services to the collaborative applications, the GCA including native functionality to access the associated groupware server but not to access the enterprise server,

wherein an extension to the GCA enables the GCA to interact directly with the enterprise server, bypassing the groupware server to access enterprise-level data while leaving unaffected access to other data by the GCA through the groupware server, and

wherein the data is associated with execution of a workflow from within the context of the GCA, the workflow managed by a server other than the groupware server; and

a content manager coupled to the backend enterprise system and to the GCA, the content manager to receive the request for data, identify the context of the GCA in response to receiving the request including identifying a the workflow associated with the query, and, in response to identifying the context,

selectively provide, in response to the query, the data related to the request to the GCA within the context of the GCA through the extension to the GCA including integrating the selected data into a user interface of the GCA to enable interaction with the data through the GCA via an the extension that provides functionality in the GCA to interact with data associated with the workflow from the context of the GCA without having to change from the context of the GCA to another application to access the enterprise-level data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the content manager identifies the context of the GCA by identifying one or more of a business role, user identifier, or workflow identifier associated with the GCA.

17. The system of claim 15, the content manager further to identify a workflow indicated in the request, determine a current phase of the workflow, and provide data related to only the current phase of the workflow.